EPIC: Path of Demons and Dragons-Chapter 448: Generosity

[November 18th DxD/July 12th DBT]

"Though Lord Vahn’s Magic has long expired, those who had fallen under its effects for those twenty-four hours still recall the sense of reassurance and purpose it granted them. As such, there has been significant pressure to see you freed from our custody as expeditiously as possible," Princess Renner explained, seated opposite Vahn atop one of two green-cushioned sofas. Between them was a well-made, highly varnished table, atop which her Knight, Climb, set out two porcelain, gold-veined cups to silently pour tea.

"They will settle down, eventually," Vahn stated calmly, refusing Climb’s tea with a stopping gesture before adding, "Contrary to what the Temple seems to believe, I have no interest in building a following or spreading my influence. I may settle here for a time to share some of my knowledge and techniques, but I will only instruct those who seek me to advance or better the lives of others. Those who seek me in search of convenience or to oppose systems they disagree with will invariably harm themselves and others."

"It is indeed dangerous to empower those who are simply dissatisfied with the way things are," Princess Renner affirmed. "But how would Lord Vahn feel about passing some of his knowledge to Climb, for example? I admit that your doing so would benefit me greatly, but I also believe that you could search throughout the Kingdom and only find a few people with his character and perseverance."

"P-Princess Renner, please. While I would be grateful for anything Lord Vahn is willing to teach me, we have to consider how the Nobles and the Temple would respond. There are already people accusing Lord Vahn of bribing the Chief Royal Warrior with that amazing belt..." Climb reminded, looking nervous with his hands raised placatingly.

"Let them talk," Princess Renner stated concisely, her expression serious as she explained, "We cannot allow our actions to be dictated by people who spread unsubstantiated rumors. Doing so would only strengthen their influence within the court."

Directing her gaze at Vahn, Princess Renner adopted a delicate smile as she contended, "Besides, Father has all but aligned the Royalist Faction with Lord Vahn by allowing him to move freely within our borders. If we’re going to be associated with him, regardless, we may as well seek benefits where we can."

"Princess Renner..." Climb muttered, clearly taken aback by his Princess’s pragmatism. Vahn, on the other hand, found it impressive, compelling him to nod and affirm, "Very well, then..." before looking to the golden-haired youth and asking, "What would you like me to teach you?"

Stunned by Vahn’s casual acceptance, Climb briefly stared at him with his mouth hanging open before bowing his head respectfully and admitting, "I beg your pardon, my Lord. To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure how to answer that. I know that you’re incredibly capable, but my own talents are sadly lacking. I will be sure to give it my all, but I’m not confident I will be able to learn anything you have to teach..."

"That depends on how strong you wish to become. I don’t subscribe to the idea that there are skills and techniques that can’t be acquired, or, at the very least, emulated. Everything draws power from Laws and reason that are baked into the very fabric of reality. So long as your conviction is powerful enough, there’s nothing you can’t learn," Vahn countered with a smile, leaving Climb stunned and silent.

"What about Racial Skill and Talents?" Princess Renner asked, appending, "I would never dare to question Lord Vahn’s capabilities, but I’m afraid my imagination as a human is limited. If Climb were to ask that you teach him the Petrifying Gaze of a Basilisk, for example, how could that be achieved without transplanting their eyes?"

"There are many ways, but the simplest would be reconstruction..." Vahn answered, causing Princess Renner’s eyes to flash expectantly as he went on to explain, "There are many types of petrification, ranging from chronal suspension and superposition to plain material transmutation. Regardless, the effect needs to be hard-coded into the framework of reality itself. You just need to know how to access that framework, which is typically where magical and alchemical formulae come in."

Shifting his gaze to Climb, Vahn, feeling a little playful, brought his right index and middle fingers up to his eyes, stating, "In the case of a Basilisk, that formula is either etched into their genetic code or simulated through organic magical pathways. As long as you can reproduce those pathways, the only requirement to petrify someone with your gaze is having enough Magic Power to circumvent their Resistance." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"W-What are you doing...!?"

Punctuating his explanation, Vahn left Climb aghast and Princess Renner with sparkling eyes as he stabbed his fingers directly into his own. There was no blood, but it was unquestionably an unnerving sight for those with a weak stomach.

"This is what I mean by reconstruction," Vahn remarked, his eyes briefly glowing like hot coals within his sockets before he removed his fingers to reveal pale, stone grey eyes with luminous golden circles surrounding his pupils. He had yet to encounter a Basilisk in the setting of OL-2138, but as such abilities weren’t particularly uncommon throughout Invirtua, he went with those of a Lesser Gorgon.

Feeling a sudden rigidity permeate his body, Climb reactively attempted to draw his sword, only to find that he was unable to so much as tremble or breathe. A wave of intense panic washed over him at the thought that Vahn might endeavor to harm Princess Renner while he was incapable of defending her, seemingly forgetting that, even if he were able to move, he couldn’t have bought her more than a second or two.

Fortunately for Climb, Vahn had no machinations toward the sixteen-year-old Princess Renner. The Re-Estize Kingdom disturbingly allowed girls as young as seven to be engaged, but while he wouldn’t go out of his way to force them to change their laws, Vahn lived according to the standards he and the Dragon’s Pavilion imposed on their affiliates.

Before Climb could become too panicked, Vahn asked, "Well, how about it? Is this the type of thing you would request of me...?" before releasing the young Knight from his paralysis-type petrification.

"Uwah...!?"

Not expecting to regain his movements suddenly, Climb lunged forward and struck his right shin against the coffee table, causing him to trip over and move it several centimeters. This caused the tea he had prepared to spill everywhere, but instead of landing heavily atop the table or possibly crashing through it, Climb and Princess Renner alike were surprised by his becoming suspended in the air.

"Huh? I’m frozen in mid air...?" Climb noted, confused.

Gesturing with his right hand, Vahn returned Climb to his original position via his Domain-based Telekinesis while proposing, "Though, considering your status as Princess Renner’s Knight, it might be better if you’re able to resist abnormal status effects—rather than inflicting them."

"Would it be too impudent of me to request such extraordinary eyes for myself...?" Princess Renner questioned calmly, ostensibly unbothered by the chaos that had transpired before her.

"There’s no harm in asking. But with the amount of Magic Power you have at your behest, you would struggle to petrify anything larger than a mouse or small bird. In your case—rather, in both of your cases, you would likely benefit the most from requesting food," Vahn contended.

Before Princess Renner could ask, Vahn cleared the table between them with a wave of his hand before crowding its surface with an assortment of stat-enhancing foods. The notion that they could transcend human limits by simply eating food left even Princess Renner shaken to her core. Vahn instantly refused when she asked if he would teach them how to cultivate such crops themselves, but he did gift her a Heavenly Peach Tree Sapling that, if cultivated carefully, would bear between 100-300 peaches—each capable of extending the consumer’s life by the same amount of time they were allowed to remain on the branch...

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"There you go again, giving away powerful magical items that will only lead to trouble in human hands..." Lupusregina sighed, emerging from the canopy of Vahn’s bed the moment he finished seeing off Princess Renner and Climb at the entrance to his luxury prison. Notably, the only articles of clothing she had on were a pair of scant, white-lace panties with black ribbons, matching stockings with cat ears, and a black garter belt.

"Powerful? Not exactly. Besides, if I don’t give out anything at all, it will hinder my ability to provide resources to Nazarick. Your side is severely underestimating the corrective force of Karma..." Vahn sighed, shaking his head. He was happy when Lupusregina was smuggled into his room by a Greater Doppelganger disguised as a palace maid, but she had developed a tendency to nag him whenever he provided information, insight, or items to those who visited him.

"I’ve said this before, but I would rather deal with the consequences of our actions than the consequences of yours..." Lupusregina countered, her tone exasperated as she approached, linked her arms around Vahn’s shoulders, and punctuated her statement with a kiss.

As frustrated as he made her feel at times, Lupusregina would no longer cede her position as Vahn’s personal maid and attendant to anyone. Her bed felt too lonely when they were apart, so she insisted on returning to his side when it was proposed to send a Level 60 Greater Doppelganger in her place.

With Lupusregina jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist, allowing her to grind against his growing bulge, Vahn habitually carried her to their bed while reciprocating her kiss. Upon breaching the canopy, two identical copies of her could be seen waiting at the head of the bed, ready and waiting to support her to the best of their ability.

After gliding above the surface in a kneeling posture, propelled by his Domain, Vahn laid Lupusregina between her literal Doppelgangers and questioned, "How do I get you to stop needling me each time I lend my words or power to humans?"

"Didn’t you encourage me to speak my mind?" Lupusregina asked, pulling up and spreading her legs with her knees reaching her shoulders. The two Doppelgangers, in turn, moved to flank Vahn, slowly undressing him while peppering his increasingly naked body with kisses.

"I did..." Vahn confirmed. "But I’ve also explained time and again why I do what I do. Your frequent quips and barbs about humanity ruin the mood..."

"Well, I can at least acknowledge that not all humans are garbage. That Princess, for example, strikes me as decently competent..." Lupusregina conceded, wiggling her butt impatiently. In response, Vahn gave her belly and mons a few light smacks with his erect cock, waiting for her to brace herself before slipping it deep inside her in a single go.

"You didn’t answer my question..." Vahn noted, leaning over Lupusregina and smothering her in her favored mating press. Her favorite position was doggy style, but since she believed it increased the probability of getting her pregnant, she had been growing increasingly fond of the former.

"Oh, you know exactly what I want..." Lupusregina exhaled, her sharp nails sinking into and bloodying Vahn’s back—inciting the Doppelgangers to begin lapping at it as if they were in a trance.

"We’ll see what fate has in store..." Vahn countered, understanding that Lupusregina was asking him to impregnate her. However, with the issues that currently plagued Nazarick, there was no way he would allow a child of his to be born and raised there. There was the option of having her give birth or bestowing Nazarick access to his palace via his Corridor, but that would defeat the purpose of his visiting, experiencing, and training within random settings.

Fortunately for Lupusregina, Vahn was willing to allow fate to decide the matter. He wasn’t willing to guarantee her pregnancy, but if it happened naturally, he would address the matter accordingly. Until then, she would have to be content with him fucking her senseless for upwards of sixteen hours a day...

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